Bandits killed at least 35 people as they stormed through a remote village in central Nigeria’s Kwara state, setting fire to buildings and shops late on Tuesday, a state lawmaker said.

It was the deadliest assault recorded this year in the district bordering Niger state, an area increasingly targeted by armed gangs.

Villagers fled into surrounding bushland as the gunmen attacked Woro, Saidu Baba Ahmed told Reuters by phone.

Several people were still missing on Wednesday morning, he said.

Banditry and armed attacks on rural communities have surged across northwest and north-central Nigeria in recent years as gangs raid villages, kidnap residents and loot livestock.

Kwara has reported a rise in attacks near the border with Niger state.